R129 500 SL - Will I enjoy it.

[AllyBee]

Hi All

I'm thinking of getting an R129 500SL. I currently own an Elise and as much as I love driving the Elise it does not get used very much. I figure an SL might just be that bit more practical and with the rear seat mean the whole family can come along. I've done a fair bit of research on this site and others so have a fair idea of what I'm getting into. I'm expecting the driving experience to be different however I am a bit worried I might end up missing the Elise, any one gone from something similar to an SL?

Thanks.

[AllyBee]

mickyveloce said:

If you expected the same reactions from the chassis, you'd be annoyed after about 10 minutes. The two cars are at opposite ends of the soft top spectrum.

However, if you enjoy characterful, quality brisk motoring, you'll love an SL.

The only comparison which remotely comes close to the two cars you've mentioned was a 1991 road test in CAR magazine which compared the then-new Lotus Élan (fwd) and the R129 300-24.
It concluded that the Mercedes was not only the superior boulevardier, it was also the superior sports car.

I've posted an article on here covering the retro fit of rear seat belts if that assists.

Buy the best, and enjoy....

Not really looking for the same handling, really more the same feeling of the drive being an event, if you know what I mean. Plus I do have a bit of a V8 itch, that with petrol prices the way they are should really be itched.


P.S just looked at your profile to try and find the seat belt article. 924 Carrera GT - Nice choice sir.

[AllyBee]

truck71 said:

I ran a 981 Cayman alongside my 129 until recently, a great pair and world's apart dynamically. The 981 was hugely competent and a great steer but I never "loved it". The 129 has got under my skin and when I decided to go from 2 to 1 cars the porsche went leaving the merc as a daily driver. It goes to the dump, b and q, is currently in the black mountains on a walking holiday as well as being a summer sports cruiser. You'd need to have a good think about using it as family transport but otherwise they are superb- ahead of their time. Try some and see what you think, they are very usable with a broad range of capabilities.

Keeping the Elise is an option (not sure for how long with the running cost mind), as for families, it would really only be the odd Sunday afternoon and weekend away, daughter is only 5 so hopefully not too much of an issue. From the research I've done, one thing seems consistent, everyone seems to rave about them, which if you look at the car on paper to me should not really be the case, maybe its because I'm getting a bit older ;-)

[AllyBee]

Thanks everyone. Part of the reason for thinking of changing is to get more use of the car. My Elise doesn't get used very much as the scope for using it is pretty limited. I was thinking something like an SL with (just about) 4 seats would get more use.

Anyway going to see a couple that are fairly close to me tomorrow, they are at different ends of the price spectrum (one £5k, one over 10K) so it will be interesting to see how the difference is reflected in the cars.

[AllyBee]

P.Nott said:

I owned both an SL and an Elise and couldn't comprehend keeping one over the other. I have, in fact, recently changed the Elise for the more mental Exige V6 and still I wouldn't change one for the other as, for me, they both satisfy very different aspects of motoring enjoyment. The SL I consider to be more of a long distance boulevard cruiser that is relaxing to drive on motorways or A roads, but the Exige is the only car I want if I am on the B roads and looking for an adrenaline rush.

Quite different driving experiences in my view.

So an update.

Today I looked at this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321644524742?_trksid=p20...

And this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191159317850?_trksid=p20...

And as a test I drove to see both of them in my Elise, which was in rude health thanks to a rather large service bill. The first car was what they refer to as a 'Rough Diamond', the second car was, as far as I was concerned an absolute gem. However my thoughts on driving the second car are pretty much as P Nott has described. I'm not sure its an Elise replacement, but I would dearly love to own it along side my Elise however I'm not sure I can make the sums work. Got a bit of thinking ahead.

Oh and so far my favourite SL design feature is the bonnet release catch that's moulded to the shape of the bottom of the three pointed star - took a while to work that one out :-)

[AllyBee]

Hi all, just to let you know no purchase yet, I'm setting my budget on the lower side so I can keep the Elise, not sure if I can go for the 500 or not, but that leads on to my question, I know these cars handle their mileage will but whats the opinion on higher mileage cars (with history), think 100 - 200K +.

[AllyBee]

nickod said:

Im looking to buy one. Are the late cars really that much superior?

+1 on that, I'd be keen to know the differences/reasons. I'm thinking of going to look at a '96 model this weekend so that sort of info would be really useful.

[AllyBee]

nickod said:

My main concern is the 4 speed gearbox v the 5 speed - what the 4 speed is like at higher motorway speeds.

Allybee - the higher priced SL you drove. I'm considering going to see it. Is is totally immaculate or does it need some things doing? Guessing it should be flawless at that price.

I'm no expert but the only thing the guy mentioned was there was a problem with the roll bar activation and auto window dropping, but he's got a new control module to fit/will be resolved before sale, it also had a new mohair roof. It drove very well, no clunks or odd noise and the guy selling it seemed like a decent chap.

If you're going to see it make sure you go Sat AM and have a look round JD classics which is just up the road.

[AllyBee]

nickod said:

Great thanks Allybee. It seems pricey but at that mileage and condition it may be worth buying the best one I can find. Plus I don't like most of the pre facelift colours and that's my favourite prefacelift colour.

No problem, would be nice to see it go to a good home, if I could make the numbers work I'd have probably bought it.